Accessibility still remains an issue in Rio with road crossings, public buildings and tourist sites built without giving the disabled much consideration.

"It's getting better, but so many things are made with no thought," said Brazilian para-triathlete Edson Rocha Nascimento.

"Public transportation, for example roads, buses and the metro, are very difficult to access if you are in a wheelchair."

Large amounts of public funds are diverted to building stadiums and broadcasting the Games. But disability expert Ahmed Habib hopes the brief spotlight on disability is worth the huge price tag attached.

"All we can hope is that people are watching the Paralympics at home and they start conversations with their families and their colleagues and realise that their perceptions about disabled people have been wrong all along the way," said Habib.